We have, on the right, Debbie Schlussel backtracking that she doesn’t really approve of rape… but that it sure does prove the point that blondies in Egypt are pretty much asking for it. And on the left we have Nir Rosen not so much thinking rape is hilarious… but it would be if it happened to Logan and Anderson Cooper as well… and she deserved it for being there… you know, in Egypt… with men who are Muslim. And he’s all, sorry but shit happens. And where shit happens, rape is your fault if you show up… or at least funny.

But he was kidding and stuff. Because it’s funny.

It’s all pretty disgusting… and it boggles my mind that anyone anywhere is even having this discussion. Even Whoopi Goldberg would agree, that being gang raped in a public square is rape rape.

And regardless of who posted the poll, it is absolutely inappropriate. Please contact PollDaddy and ask them to remove the poll. No rape victim should have to be subject to an opinion poll of her attack.

Update: Guess who doesn’t know how to use the internet? That would be me. I wrote this post in response to a tweet from @HuffPo… who is not the actual HuffPo… and is now suspended from Twitter.

Huff Po, in its classiest act yet, ApprovalPolls.com has posted a poll where you can vote on whether Lara Logan, news correspondent who was raped and beaten in public in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, deserved to be attacked.

Because the question of blame is now best answered by a public approval poll. Any woman standing out in the open is obviously somehow at least a little bit to blam especially knowing that men in Africa are nothing more than savage beasts who must put their penises in every woman sending that signal… the “I’m out in public put your penis in me that’s why I’m here” signal.

I propose a Skepchick “pharyngulation”… Skepryngulation… or something.

A ridiculous poll deserves a ridiculous response. Vote YES. I mean… if you have to ask, then YEAH the victim is ALWAYS to blame. Right?

27 Comments

Sadly, some of this may be coming from viewpoints similar to the tweets of Nir Rosen who was dismissive and malicious regarding Lara Logan’s attack. He basically excused himself because of his perception that Logan’s a right-wing warmonger, before finally apologizing.

Left or Right, it doesn’t matter. As an editor dependent on reporters and writers, I take all types assaults on the press kinda personally. Nothing excuses the rape or murder of a woman (or man) trying to report the news.

No one is ever “asking for it” regardless of where they are, what they’re wearing, or who they choose to date or affiliate with. I can’t even imagine what would motivate a person to think along these lines, or what insane rationales they could possibly use.

In addition, I object to the racism inherent in this line of thinking… that “of course” she should have “known better” than to surround herself with those “people”. No wonder she was raped, because they’re all “dirty savages” who can’t be expected to behave any better.

In my opinion, if we were truly deserving of the term “civilized human beings” then any person would be able to walk down the street at any time completely naked and not be inappropriately touched or pressured to do anything that they don’t want to do.

I have followed this site for a while now and this story is the first time I have been moved to register and post. I can’t even begin to express my loathing and disgust for humanity right now, but I think you at Skepchick are just the ones to cover this. I am especially interested in hearing how you all feel about the fact that so, so many of the most repulsive and vile “you deserved it for being blond in that country full of savages” comments are from women.

As always, this horrible shit CANNOT go on without the support of and the apologising from other women. Talk about being your own worst enemies.

I am especially interested in hearing how you all feel about the fact that so, so many of the most repulsive and vile “you deserved it for being blond in that country full of savages” comments are from women.

Disgusted. Sickened. Sad. Horrified to the point where it’s difficult to form a sentence that conveys my feelings without screaming and stabbing people.

I’m guessing the poll site loves getting the attention, as it means more page views, and thus more ad revenue, for them. This is the economic equivalent of a bratty kid yelling obscenities to get people to look their way.

Don’t fall for it. Just ignore them, no matter how tempting to view and comment.

I wish it were that simple but it you look at the rest of their “polls”, you see how this is neither an isolated attention ploy nor outside their normal beliefs and agenda. It’s business as usual and is deeply, truly entrenched.

People in my office started discussing this earlier this morning and I was just listening with one ear when I suddenly realized that the oh-so-well-informed opinion being agreed on was: “She shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
These are people I have to work with every day and whom I’ve been assuming are realtively kind and sane.
Now I have an almost overwhelming urge to smash a chair over someone’s head and then say, “Well, you shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”

@ Elyse
I’ve been bamboozled by crap on the internet. Several times. My brother was taken in by the same hoax page twice. It happens. It’s embarrassing.

@starve2act
I have some spare chairs in my office if you like. Nice and heavy too.

@ Imrryr
There’s lots we would all like to “un-learn.” Sadly internet and media give lots of idiots a platform to stake out plenty of wasted brain-space in my head. Someone please make the hurting stop.